Lawyer

National Highways; Patchway; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

National Highways is seeking a Lawyer in the Operations Legal Team to provide broad legal advice on day-to-day operational matters across the strategic road network. The role includes advising on traffic regulation, duties and powers, and supporting risk, governance and compliance activities.

The position is hybrid, requiring two days in the office weekly, with offices in Guildford, Birmingham or Bristol. You will engage with senior stakeholders and lead external counsel on complex matters while

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister authorised to practise in the UK.
• Experience advising on legal issues arising from day-to-day operations.
• Ability to provide clear, practical legal advice to non-legal stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Advise on reputational risk and manage stakeholder expectations with senior leaders.
• Ensure compliance with guidelines, legislation and regulations, delivering practical legal advice.
• Manage external legal support, quality, performance and costs.
• Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders to champion the division's work.
• Support leadership with reports and knowledge sharing; contribute to team development.
• Apply legal skills to highway law, litigation, or legislation drafting and support court proceedings.
• Contribute to resilience and crisis management, counter fraud, and anti-money laundering discussions.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Legal advice

Public law understanding

Briefing senior leaders

Education

Qualified Solicitor or Barrister in the UK

Job description

As a Lawyer within the Operations Legal Team, you will advise on all aspects of legal operational matters, providing advice to the business on legal issues arising from the day-to-day operation of the strategic road network. This is a diverse role and provides an excellent opportunity to apply your legal knowledge and skills to legal matters including managing the statutory instrument making process; advising on traffic regulation, management and signage; advising our Network Claims and Dart Charge teams and our Traffic Officer Service on duties and powers; Highways Act 1980 responsibilities and offences including unauthorised incursions, encroachments and obstructions on the network; litter responsibilities; automated vehicles and abnormal loads; advising the business on counter fraud and anti-money laundering; supporting National Highways staff in giving evidence in court proceedings; advising on resilience and business continuity, including crisis management. This is a hybrid role, requiring two days per week in the office, based at National Highways office in Guildford or Birmingham or Bristol

• Advise on reputational risk, anticipate emerging issues, balance competing priorities and manage stakeholder expectations to deliver effective legal support.
• Ensure compliance with relevant guidelines, legislation and regulations, providing high-quality, practical and in-depth legal advice.
• Manage external legal support, including overseeing quality, performance and costs to ensure value for money.
• Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with senior stakeholders across National Highways and externally, championing the division's work.
• Support senior leadership through the preparation of reports and briefings, while contributing to team development, learning and knowledge-sharing for legal and non-legal colleagues. Qualified Solicitor or Barrister authorised to practise in the UK.
• An understanding of Public Law and experience in one or more of the Operations Team specialisms, such as highway law, litigation, or legislation drafting.
• Strong experience influencing and working effectively with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels, including senior leaders, providing appropriate check and challenge while building and sustaining effective working relationships.
• Proven ability to apply legal skills to new or unfamiliar areas of law, and to explain complex legal issues in an accessible way to stakeholders and colleagues at all levels, including senior leaders, to deliver solutions within required timescales.
• Demonstrable track record of working proactively and independently with minimal supervision and demonstrating strong professional leadership. Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England's motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership. Legal Services encompasses the National highways legal team, the information rights team and the company secretariat.

Our aim is to provide the organisation with an effective legal service and support the Board, Chief Executive, and its committees on a wide range of issues. We offer strategic legal advice on commercial, planning, operational, highways, employment, regulatory, and property matters, ensuring legal compliance and minimising exposure to risk. Current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy. We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.